What home automations do proper use to make there every day life easier or more productive?
6 Likes
Whenever one of my water leak sensors detects water, an Aqara Valve Controller shuts off the main water supply. It actually saved me once after my mother-in-law did some laundry and forgot to take a toothpick out of her pocket, which later caused a minor flood. I also cut the power to the washing machine using a smart plug.
14 Likes
Automation that activates an electric strike in a door! I’ve already bought an apartment where the door didn’t have a button in the door handle (I used a wireless one) and a relay that activates the electric strike when I quickly press the hidden button under the door handle twice. This saved a lot of money and rework.
1 Like
Haha, mine is just easy… Just switch on / off the lights by a presence / motion sensor 
I think that’s the most usecase
My fav automation is triggered with withings sleep sensors + Aqara fp2 → when both of us go out of bed and some zone presence conditions are fulfilled it triggers 4 Aqara curtains robots to open the curtains. In the evening at certain time related to sunset they close curtains… even my wife approved this one and sometimes when it fails (very rarely - mostly due to withings) she asks about the reason… 
1 Like
Automatic car charge management
I have my EV connected to HA.
Generally I’ll leave the daily charge set to 65% for battery health (which gives me a good 200 mile range without needing prior planning).
Home Assistant monitors mine and my wifes calendars and if there’s an entry for the following day with a location set, it will work out the driving distance for a return journey to that location. It then works out the approximate power requirement for that and what percentage of the cars battery that equates to (plus a 20% buffer).
If it’s more than 65%, then it will automatically increase the car’s charge target to the required amount.
If it requires more than 85% charge it will set to 85% and notify me with an action button to confirm I want it to set a higher charge.
Once it’s unplugged the following morning the charge target will be set back to 65%.
If the calendar entry spans multiple days, it will include an extra 10% charge per night spent away to account for small drives etc.
Window check
When the last person leaves the house, if any windows were left open, that last person will be notified.
Helps not forgetting to close a window when going out.
Doorbell triggers
If someone presses the doorbell, a number of things happen depending on current states:
- If I’m in my workshop (and likely have my headphones in), if my workshop isn’t currently in ‘Studio mode’, then flash the room lights to indicate someone’s at the door
- If someone is watching the TV in the living room, pause the TV and load the doorbell camera feed
- If the robot vacuum is running, and someone is home, pause it. If the front door is opened within 2 minutes, when it then closes again, start the vacuum again. If no one answers the door within 2 minutes, continue.
- I’m setting up a nap-time mode. In which case, if the doorbell is pressed when naptime mode is on, the buzzer won’t play, but in non-baby rooms where presence is detected, verbally announce that someone is at the door on the speakers in a reduced volume.
Morning greeting
The first time I walk into my workshop each day, when presence is detected, the speaker will adjust to an appropriate volume based on the time of day and other things in the house, and will then greet me with a time appropriate greeting, and let me know what my calendar and time-restricted To-Do items are that are scheduled for the day.
Radiators
Turning various radiators around the house on or off depending on the time of day, presence (both in different rooms and in the house in general), which windows are open, and temperatures both outside and in each of the rooms. Then turning on/off heating.
Lighting
Having various lighting in my workshop turn on/off depending on where I am in the room
3 Likes
I have several:
Motion detection and presence sensors to turn lights on outside the house, under cabinet lights, inside lights, and under bed lights.
If temperature raises to above 80F, and presence detected, turn on fan.
If air quality is bad in a room, change light color to yellow, then red to alert opening of a window.
if car or person detected in driveway, turn on camera feed on home assistant dashboard monitor to show the camera feed
Water sensors to alert of water leaks